1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to rolling or gliding sports equipment, especially to foot fitting sports equipment dedicated to the practice of skating, skiing or snowboarding. The invention relates more particularly to aggressive roller skating provided for acrobatic maneuvers, these skates having significant requirements with regards to protecting the joints.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Two large families of in-line roller skates can be defined, the one in which the boot is an integral part of the skate, and the other in which an independent walking boot is required in order to be able to use the skate.
There is also a third family of skates that can be classified as a hybrid family since the skates have a removable liner. In certain cases, these liners are provided for walking, but they are not actual boots, however.
When the boot is an integral part of the skate, it is possible to provide a rigid structure in the form of a shell that guarantees a good protection of the ankle joint. This is not the case in a skate having an independent boot.
A skate having an independent walking boot is disclosed in DE-U-93 07 747. The skate includes a shell provided with three ratchet tightening devices that are simple and identical to one another. Between the device for tightening the lower leg and the tightening device positioned on the instep, the shell has a wide cutout on each side in order to facilitate the flexion of the lower leg.
Such a skate offers a poor protection of the ankle joint, particularly in the forward flexional movements of the lower leg. Indeed, the shell, which constitutes the rigid structure, is not only discontinuous between the medial side and the lateral side, but also between the instep zone and the lower leg zone. Naturally, one can imagine that when the tightening of the instep is at a maximum, the two portions of the shell come into contact with each other. However, such conditions are rare and in most cases, the user will feel discontinuities in the support of the rigid elements between the medial portion and the lateral portion of the shell. The notched strap provided to connect these two portions is thin, more flexible and, being set back with respect to the shell, it does not press against the user's instep.
Likewise, the user will feel a discontinuity in the pressure exerted by the shell on his foot between the instep zone and the lower leg zone. Nevertheless, it is known that all of the sensors positioned at the skin's surface may be necessary for preventing injuries due to an overstretching of the joint capabilities. In this sense, the discontinuities in pressure exerted by the rigid structures of a skate on the user's foot put the joint at risk.
Moreover, such a skate does not ensure a good protection of the ankle joint during the lateral flexions of the leg, since the lateral retention of the collar is not sufficient due to the wide cutouts.
Furthermore, the skate described in DE-U-93 07 747.6 is not modular, and the adaptation thereof to various shoe sizes requires using an inner wedging system that displaces the foot toward the front with respect to the rear support portions of the shell, making these portions almost inoperative.
Finally, the tightening of this skate is evened out between the three tightening zones, since it is ensured in these three zones by three identical ratchet mechanisms that do not have any assisted tightening.